The Talk
by Cree8R
Summary: Arnold confronts Helga about their kiss. Takes place after HA!: The Movie


This fanfiction is written as if the conversation between Arnold and Helga at the end of Hey Arnold!: The Movie never happened.

Arnold walked to his house as the sun set over the rooftops of the city buildings. The streetlights glowed a dull orange and reflected against the puddles left by an earlier rain. He turned the corner and as he lifted his eyes saw Helga Pataki walking towards him. Helga's eyes immediately widened in deep shock as she turned and hurriedly walked in the opposite direction.

"Helga wait!" Arnold shouted.

"_Oh great,_" she thought as she quickened her pace. Arnold began to run, darting and dodging between people to catch up with her.

When he finally sped up to her, Arnold tugged on her dress. "Helga!" he shouted.

She spun towards him and yelled, "What do you WANT football head?!"

"It's just, ever since we…" He gazed downward. "You know…"

Her mind raced, "_Ugh, he can't even bring himself to say it! He can't even say that we kissed_."

"You've been avoiding me, Helga. Don't you think we should talk?"

"I'm not avoiding you! I've been busy. Sheesh can't a girl have things to do?"

"Every time I see you, you go the other way. The bus stop, the park, just now."

"What's your point?" she stated bluntly.

"We haven't really talked."

"What is there to talk about Arnoldo?"

Blinking and flustered Arnold said, "About what happened, where all of this came from?"

"Oh yeah, that! Why don't we just have this little conversation right here, right now, with everyone and their mother walking by. Sounds great to me!" said Helga through her mocking smile. Her anger was her only protection against the idea that Arnold's provocation could mean the end for so many things. If her feelings were not returned it would be the end of her fantasy, the end to her inspiration, the end to an imagined aggrandized future that would never come.

"We're close to Gerald Field. Would that work?"

His words snapped her back into the moment. Knowing there was no escape, reluctantly she conceded, "If I do this will you leave me alone?"

"Sure Helga," Arnold said.

"Fine, but this better be short. Wrestle Mania's on at eight."

They walked across the street to Gerald Field in silence, both of them unsure of what to say. For Helga each step was filled with the kind of dread usually saved for inmates' last walk on death row. If this had to happen, she wanted to make it quick.

Upon entering the field, Helga rapidly spat out, "Ok we're here. What did you need to talk to me about?"

Arnold sat down on the home team dug out bench. "I guess I was just wondering where this all came from. I mean, I thought you hated me."

Helga paced back and forth, avoiding his eyes. "I don't hate you," she stated tiredly.

"Then what made you want to kiss me?"

Helga halted and paused for a few seconds. Searching every corner of her mind for something to say, she faltered. Until at last, she found it, her only recourse. Her inner eyebrow raised as she closed her eyes and said softly, "It was a mistake. I shouldn't have done that."

Arnold's mouth parted as if to say something, but the words did not come out.

Helga lifted her eyes filled with sadness to look at him briefly before turning and saying "I've got to go." She started walking away from Arnold.

"Hegla, was it really a mistake to you?" Arnold asked quietly.

Helga's mind was sprinting faster than she could keep up with barraging her with disjointed thoughts. "_Why can't he just let me leave? Why did I have to say those things on the roof? What kind of explanation does he want? I told him how I feel already and he didn't say anything! He's had two weeks to say something so he obviously doesn't like me back! This shouldn't be happening. It wasn't supposed to happen like this." _Every thought lead her to the culmination of_ "This is so unfair!"_

And with that in exasperation she burst, "Ugh! Can you get a clue?! How do you think Mr. Hyunh's daughter found you guys on Christmas? Do you think that just happened by the magic Missing Persons fairy or a band of Christmas leprechauns?!"

Surprised, Arnold said, "What? That was you?"

Helga unabated continued her rant. Pacing, spewing words as fast as she could get them out she cried, "Do you remember Thanksgiving? Do you think it's every day that I talk to people about how rotten my family life is? God, even Phoebe doesn't know some of the things I've told you! Criminy!" She exclaimed, throwing up her hands in annoyance.

Arnold, eyes wide was stunned. Emotionally exhausted from her outburst, Helga turned away from him. Arnold walked towards her and put his hand upon her shoulder.

"Helga, I had no idea. Christmas? How did you?" Arnold asked.

Helga took a breath. Calmer now, she stated, "I overheard you talking. I gave the guy some Nancy Spumoni boots so he would find her."

"How did you get those snow boots?"

"Oh, Miriam gave them to me for Christmas. Figured you could use them more than me."

"Wow, that's one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me." He said, looking at her as if for the first time.

"Don't worry about it," she said shaking her head. "It's not like it changes things. Look, I shouldn't have kissed you. It was stupid for me to expect that you would ever..." She stared achingly into Arnolds eyes for a second. Sensing that he was not reading her thoughts, Helga rolled her eyes and sighed. "I mean, I know you like Lila. And why shouldn't you? She's nice to everybody. She's smart. She tells interesting stories. She's great. I'm…very different from her."

"But you're not really as bad as you seem Helga. I've never known anyone to give up their own Christmas present to help someone else like you did. I can't thank you enough! That was incredibly kind and selfless of you."

Hopeful she asked, "Really?" and began to get teary eyed. "I," she stuttered, "I just wanted you to have a nice Christmas." She smiled weakly holding back her tears. Helga felt a sudden heat in her chest. It was both a swelling of all the emotion she had kept hidden for so long and also the heat of being truly seen by another person as her most authentic self.

"I know," Arnold whispered nodding his head.

He reached out for her hand. Helga's eyes widened, shocked that Arnold touched her. A wave of electricity emanated from the contact with his hand that spreads throughout her entire body.

"Helga," He said as leaned in. Arnold stood on his toes to reach her lips, giving her a soft, sweet kiss.

As he pulls back, Helga gasps in surprise! Her mind overwhelmed, "_He kissed me! Arnold kissed me!"_

They looked into each other's eyes as they both blushed. The air had gotten colder as the darkness of night enveloped the city.

Arnold looked up at Helga and smiled, "Can I walk you home?"

"Sure," she says as she thinks, "_I can't believe this is happening! This is truly the happiest moment of my life!"_

Arnold took hold of her hand and began walking Helga back to her place for the evening. As they walked the city sounds of people talking and cars whizzing by seemed somehow fainter to them. The noises of the outside world faded into the background, drowned out by Arnold and Helga's preoccupation with what was happening between them.

Before opening her door to go inside, Helga turned to Arnold and said, "Thanks for walking me home."

"Sure thing Helga. Goodnight," he said as he waved to her from the sidewalk.

"Goodnight," she said as she closed the door. She leaned her back against the closed door, clutching her hands to her chest and slid down in the doorway, swooning while letting out a soft sigh.

As Arnold walked back to the boarding house, he thought about what he thought he had known about Helga and everything that he had learned that night. He knew that after tonight things would never be the same.

*_Cue end of episode jazz music_*


End file.
